Archive for the 'Jerry Buss' Tag Under 'Lakers' Category

EL SEGUNDO -- The Lakers' first game since the death of team owner Jerry Buss on Monday will be against the team Buss desperately wanted to pass in all-time NBA championships: the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers play host to the Celtics on Wednesday night at Staples Center. There will be various remembrances of Buss during the game, including a purple "JB" patch worn over Lakers players' right chest area the rest of the season.

Counting the championships won in Minneapolis, the Lakers have 16 NBA titles to Boston's 17.

As far as Buss' death serving as a motivation for the team, Bryant said he hoped that would be the case but acknowledged that few Lakers players even were aware of Buss' contribution to the league and the sport previously. Bryant said he hoped Tuesday would feature the team putting "on a good show in his honor."

Lakers owner Jerry Buss has cancer and is at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to a report Thursday by Radaronline.com that suggested Buss is nearing death.

Buss' cancer was learned previously by the Register but not published out of respect for the Buss family's wishes.

Buss, 79, has been called the greatest owner in pro sports history for his 10 NBA championships with the Lakers, in addition to being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Buss bought the Lakers in 1979 and currently owns 66 percent of the team.

The Lakers had hoped Buss would feel well enough to make it to a Lakers game this season after not attending one all last season. He has had various health complications such as dehydration and blood clots confirmed previously by the Lakers, but a team spokesman had no comment on the latest news.

Mike D'Antoni isn't naive. He knows there is a large faction of Lakers fans who wanted Phil Jackson to take over as head coach and has joked that some friends, who are Lakers fans, wanted Jackson instead of him.

Then there is Magic Johnson. On Wednesday, he said on Twitter that he was “mourning” over Jackson not being hired and later on ESPN TV pointed his finger at Jim Buss, Lakers vice president for his unhappiness.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss was hospitalized Monday night and was treated for severe dehydration, according to the team.

Buss, 78, reportedly became ill at his L.A. home around 9 p.m. and someone at the house called 911, according to TMZ, which first reported the story. The L.A. City Fire Department responded and paramedics rushed Buss to an area hospital.

"He is recovering and is expected to be released soon,” Lakers spokesman John Black said in a statement.

Buss, the patriarch of the family, was hospitalized last December for blood clots in his legs that developed after extensive travel.

A year ago, Buss turned over day-to-day operations of running the Lakers to his son, Jim.

Magic Johnson said he was going to get the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section, theoretically meaning at the expense of the Lakers.

But Lakers owner Jerry Buss offered full support for Johnson in a statement Wednesday about the Lakers legend becoming part-owner of the Dodgers.

“Magic Johnson is probably the most beloved sports figure in Los Angeles history,” Buss said. “In addition to being a phenomenal success on the court in leading the Lakers to five NBA championships, he has been a success in everything else he's become involved with, most notably his spectacular business career and also his educational campaign on behalf of HIV awareness. I'd like to congratulate Magic and his partners on their acquisition of the Dodgers and wish them the best of luck.”

There was no apology to personnel man Jim Buss in the Sports Business Journal entry, but then again, the focus is supposed to be the business side of sports, where his sister Jeanie is in charge of the Lakers.

Buss doesn't have a prominent role with the Lakers, though he is starting work as a scout and was on hand with brothers Jim and Joey and their father at Mike Brown's introductory news conference. He shares the same mother as Joey Buss, who said in his recent interview about his family that he is closest in the family to Jesse -- and acknowledged Jesse likes to maintain a lifestyle that includes a lot of club-going.